Bones
by Razor-007
Summary: In the mafia everyone has to make their bones. Watch as Tsuan and his guaridans make thier way thru this important ritual.
1. Prologue

Standard disclaimer: I don't own KHR or its characters yada yada yada.

The Mafia is an organization that is meant to slither and work its way thru the shadows of society making its presence known only when it is needed. Its existence is always denied and its activities are meant to be kept from the light of day and done in such a away that makes it seem as though the Mafia is nothing more then a conspiracy made up by prosecutors so that they could become some form of powerful overlords.

Of course the Mafia is very, very real.

It holds secrecy and the vow of _Omerta_ above all else so that in its activities it can protect those who serve it. To ensure those who live this life are those men of character and loyalty they must be they are bound together. They aren't bound by law, or by something without meaning, they are bound by something so insidious and so vile that it will forever connect those who participate; murder. Every soldier, every capo, every consigliere, and every boss are bound by this same thing. Each of them made their bones by murdering someone who usually had no connection to them, but were a problem for the family.

These members then came to a solemn ceremony where their hard work would be rewarded. After this they were made men and were given the protection of the family, they could not be touched by anyone other then another made man and even then there were sit downs that needed to happen, or else you might be the one who is never found again.

The right people would gather with you and with the prick of a pin and a drop of blood on the picture of a saint you were made. As the picture is lit on fire it is tossed from hand to hand and you learn that now you are part of a family and a sense of belonging is bestowed upon you. On the reverse side you are burdened with the duty of protecting the family at any and all cost, even if it means your life.

For the Vongola family this ritual is a cornerstone of how they operate, and to be a made man there is no other way then to participate, no matter what you believe, and the guardians of the Vongola rings are no different.


	2. Tsuna

Tsuna was the first to prove his true loyalty to the family and gain the respect that he needed as to have in order to be boss.

Reborn had told him it only needed to happen once and that it was crucial. He didn't exactly know how to say no to it but before he knew it he was in first class on a plane to Italy. He knew that death was a part of the mafia and that when he did finally become the Tenth Vongola boss he would need to dabble in it but he never realized it would happen so soon. He sweated the entire long plane ride to Italy as the stewardesses tended to his every need. He did have to admit that flying in first class was nice and that perhaps he could get use to certain aspects of the Mafia life.

When the plane landed in Milan he headed to the exit only to find a man with a large sign with an X on it.

"Hello" He asked hesitantly.

The man did a double take at the child in front of him, but he knew from the description that this was him.

"I am Giovanni, Don Decimo. I am to take you to the place" He said, lending his arm to wave Tsuna to a waiting car outside.

Tsuna followed the man all the while marveling at his Japanese. He had probably spent the better part of the week practicing it to get in good favor with him. Tsuna kept it to himself that he could speak some Italian, probably enough for this little mission. When they arrived he opened the door and Tsuna got in the back of a sleek BMW with tinted windows. As the vehicle hummed to life Tsuna watched the setting sun out the window and the scenery pass them by.

He picked up a small package the sat on the seat next to him and opens it. Out fell a small letter sealed with the Vongola crest and a 9mm handgun with a silencer attached to the barrel. Tsuna knew little about guns but Reborn had taught him some of what he needed to know. He checked the clip, full of armor piercing rounds; he made sure the safety was off and cocked it, leaving it in his jacket pocket. He opened the letter taking careful note on the Ninth's flame at the top. He knew that this was real and from him.

Tsuna,

I know that what I ask of you is difficult, it always is but to ensure the security and prosperity of the Vongola it must be done. Giovanni will bring you to a meeting and wait for you, I am sure you want this over quickly. When you go use your flame and melt the gun, leave it in the car Giovanni will destroy it, he is a good soldier I trust him.

The man you are meeting is named Michael Rossi, he will be alone. You don't need to know what his happening yet just that he needs to be taken care of. I will see you when it is done and we can talk.

Destroy this as writing such things never turns out good for us.

Sincerely,

Don Vongola Nono

Tsuna lit the letter as he finished and tossed it out his window. His heart began to race as he saw that they were there. He exited the car without a word and went into the warehouse that they now stood in front of crates of everything from electronics to food were around him. He navigated his way to as small table with two chairs where the meeting was to take place.

A young man a few years older then him sat at the table and smiled at him. He shock Tsuna's hand vigorously.

"Tsuna I presume?" he asked.

"Yes, Michael"

They sat down and began their conversation

"I am very happy we could do this. The problem just needs us to finalize a few details and we are done."

"Of course" Tsuna replied, knowing that most likely the other family had sent this man to be a sacrifice. There would be no retribution for this, no problems what so ever.

"So I think that the Heroine should start coming in next week and the we need a good base of operations going so we can get the product out fast. A house would be best, preferably one with high security and a fence. I have a guy who…" he rambled before Tsuna cut him off.

"Let me stop you there Michael" he said.

"The Vongola don't need drugs on our territory and the fact that you don't know this makes me wonder now much you are worth to your bosses"

"What?" he asked looking very confused and nervous.

"You crossed us and now its over" Tsuna said in a dead voice.

Suddenly everything went slow as Michael realized he had been set up. He jumped up but Tsuna had already pulled his gun. He was in a trance as his figure pulled back on the trigger. Each shot was silent and Tsuna could only tell it had gone off because of the spent casings on the floor and the bloody holes that began to appear one by one in his body. Finally the gun stopped and Michael's limp corpse fell to the ground and his blood poured out and onto the cold concrete floor.

Tsuna turned and left. His stomach felt as though he had eaten a brick. He entered the back of the car to only a smile from Giovanni and the car sped off. Tsuna melted the gun with his flame and the molten metal oozed on the other backseat of the car. On the outside Tsuna looked cool, but inside his heart and mind were racing. He could barely keep himself from screaming as the car rocketed thru the backstreets of Milan until they came to rest at a small restaurant some time later. The door opened and Tsuna exited with another man. He led him to a small room that was pitch black. Inside were the Ninth, his father, and two other men he didn't recognize.

The air was cold as Tsuna took a picture e of Saint Thomas Aquinas in his hands. His finger with the Vongola ring on it was pricked and a drop of blood fell of the picture. The Ninth's flame lit it and it burned as Tsuna passed it from hand to hand.

"You are now a true member of this family Tsuna, with all the privileges and obligations that come with it, and may you burn like the Saint in your hand if you ever betray your family" He said with a dead voice.

"I know" Tsuna replied.

"Then it's done."

The ninth hugged Tsuna and kissed him on each cheek. Then the other men became overly joyful and congratulated him, his father most of all.

"I am proud of you Tsuna. I remember how hard it is" His father told him as he began leading him to a dinning room.

"These are friends of our Tsuna" His father said.

"This" he said pointing to the first man. "Is Anthony Vireo"

"It is nice to finally meat you Tsuna" He said shaking Tsuna's hand

"You to" he said back

"And this" he said pointing to the other man "Is Aberto Sedone"

"A pleasure" he said to Tsuna shaking his hand.

"Its all mine" he responded.

Tsuna was led to a small dining room where Aberto, Anthony, and his father took a seat at a table and his father motioned him to go to the other table with the Ninth. Tsuna took his seat and the old man smiled at him.

"You did very good tonight Tsuna, I know how hard it must have been"

Tsuna didn't reply he only sipped his wine.

"It will subside, the pain"

"Actually I don't feel pain but actually I do I feel really hunger" Tsuna admitted sheepishly.

The Ninth laughed with a boisterous noise that made his father smile from across the room. "Of course, of course"

Just then a waiter brought everyone a large plate of pasta and Tsuna dug in. The conversation was light as he cleaned the plate.

"My first time was when I was only a little younger then you." The Ninth began. "The man's name isn't important but he had raped a young girl who was the goddaughter of a guardian. I found him when he was in a barn, just after finishing with another young lady. When she had left I pressed the barrel of my weapon to the back of his skull. I remember every word he said as he tried to beg and plead for his life. In the end it only took one bullet to silence him. They found him trampled by startled horses later that evening. The next day the Carabinieri didn't even blink an eye, it just meant that the fools wouldn't have to arrest him"

Tsuna listened intently to the story as he finished his wine. It dawned upon him that they went so different after all, because underneath all of the other stuff they were very much alike.

"Michael didn't even get a word out" Tsuna replied. "Just a few grunts and a profanity or two as the third bullet hit him"

The Ninth nodded as he listened. "This is just part of this thing of our Tsuna"

Tsuna nodded. He knew exactly what needed to be done and he had done it. When dinner finished and they bid their goodbye's Tsuna was put into another car with his father and driven to the airport. He had gotten himself a little sleep as they had to drive to Turin to get him on plane back to Japan. Apparently he couldn't leave the same airport, he was sure there was a reason but he didn't want to really try and understand it now. He got out of the car and his father handed him a ticket and bid him goodbye.

Tsuna sat in his seat on the plane very tired. He planned to get a little something to eat and then sleep all the way back to Japan, as he had been awake for nearly three days now. Tsuna smiled at the stewardess who handed him a newspaper. He caught her smiling at him and heard her little giggles as she talked, obviously about him, to another stewardess. Somehow this had been happening a lot lately and Reborn had told him to embrace it as Kyoko was now simply not an option. Tsuna smirked as he began to scan the text on the front page of the paper. The front page was covered with pictures of the police taking out a body.

_Carabinieri officials are very tight lipped about a dead man found in a warehouse in the south side of Milan early this morning. They received an anonymous call and found the dead man. The man has been identified as Michael John Rossi, 27 of Milan. Inside sources confirm that Rossi was apparently a significant player in the local drug trade and had Heroine on him. He was found with a dozen bullets in him in front of a small table with two chairs. Police also found 20 pounds of Heroine in a crate next to the murder scene. They were in a crate mixed with gravel for aquariums; the street value of the drugs was estimated at 800,000 Euros._

_Rossi was a suspected associate of the Vinchenso family and had ties to jailed mafia boss John Totorio, who died in prison of a heart attack earlier this week. Police are still looking for any clues, but a source within the department has said that they are not very optimistic about finding anything of value as this appears to have been a professional hit and there is little physical evidence found thus far._

Tsuna smiled as he folded his paper before the plane began to taxi to take off. He began to think about the man who he had murdered and just what all of this meant to him and what it meant to his life. He was now a true mafia man and from now on he would be different, but knowing his father and hearing the Ninth's story he felt a little better about himself. Tsuna just hoped that his guardians would come thru this as well as he did.


	3. Hibari

Hibari never intended to get caught up in Sawada's little life, but some how he couldn't help it, something had pulled him in. The baby drew him into everything but it was Sawada that kept him there. After their little "future" visit Sawada had approached him in the Reception Room. They sat quietly starring at each other with an intensity that told Hibari Sawada had changed. He tried to explain the purpose of everything that had happened but Hibari wasn't into it, he would rather fight, and so that's what happened.

Half an hour later both he and Sawada were exhausted and near their limits. Hibari had underestimated him and was now that the herbivore that was once Sawada was long gone. On the outside he still portrayed himself as he always had but with slightly more confidence in himself, while on the inside he had transformed. Sawada was now a carnivore on par with both the baby and himself. Hibari didn't have long to think these thoughts thou as Sawada rushed him. His tonfa flew to his sides as he dropped to his knees in defeat, fortunately Sawada and collapsed right next to him. When he awoke Sawada was gone and the baby sat on the metal railing. He handed him a plane ticket and gave him a few instructions before he left mysteriously.

Hibari now sat in a plane waiting for final docking of his plane in Palermo, Italy. He had gone to Sawada's house shortly after reading the ticket and actually listened this time for the full story. He understood now what exactly had happened to Sawada this past year and saw that there was no way that he could leave it. His devious smile was enough to tell Sawada that he would honor the commitment and responsibilities that came with the ring and his inclusion into the mafia. This brought him to a locker in the airport where he found a duffle bag left for him. Hibari had been given the key before he left Japan and told what he would need to do.

He spoke all the time about biting people to death but in reality he had never actually killed anyone, yet here he was in a foreign country for just that reason. He had beaten many people very bad and even three kids to the point of needing the intensive care unit, but never to death. He felt a little nervous, something Hibari never experienced, yet at the same time he felt so alive.

He dug thru the duffle bag finding the keys to the car that was suppose to be waiting for him. He found the car easily in the parking lot, a Lexus IS 250 with tinted windows. When he got in he rummaged thru the bag to find the other parts of his kit. He found a pair of tonfa, a pre-paid cell phone, some black gloves, a bullet proof vest, a box of .22 caliber armor piercing rounds, and a Beretta U22 Neos just as he had requested. He knew a lot about traditional weapons but guns weren't his specialty so he and the baby talked and found him something he would like, of course it would be left in Italy but he had been told a new one without a body on it would be awaiting him when he returned to Italy.

He turned the key and the car hummed to life as he took off outside the airport and began to head for his destination. He knew nothing about the man that he was going to kill except that he was a corrupt Carabinieri who worked for the Vongola family, until now. Apparently he had done something to upset the balance of things and that needed to go. His car roared as he drove to the outside of town to the foothills where he was told he could find his target.

Besides being an inside man for the Vongola this officer had a taste for other things as well, but he loved women more then anything. He was told that he had a woman on the side he liked to sleep with whenever his wife made even then slightest complaint. He took all his girls to a small shack on the outskirts of town. Tonight he was guaranteed to be there, he didn't know why but he trusted the source. He parked the car in a small wooded area and got himself ready. He loaded his weapon and tucked it into his pants. He pulled on his armor and took his tonfa on the quick walk to the shack where his target was.

He saw a light on and waited for over an hour for it to go out; Hibari was nothing if not patient. An hour after the lights went off and they came back on a few minutes later as a shadowy figure left in their car. Hibari knew this was his chance. He crept up to the shack and peered thru the only window and saw his target.

The shirtless man was sitting in his officer pants drinking a beer in a large rugged chair. He was transfixed on the TV news that was splashed across an older big screen TV in the corner of the room. Hibari snuck quietly to the front door and knocked. His target got up to answer but found nothing. Closing the door and turning around he felt a huge pain against his face as he fell to the floor. Hibari had snuck in the back door and drew the shades before striking his target.

He went down quickly as Hibari struck him over and over again with the cold steel tonfa. His blood raced faster with each strike and cry of pain from the man. He tried to beg for his life not really realizing what he had done. Hibari didn't care at this point as it was too late to turn back. He beat the man relentlessly until the floor was covered in blood and a couple teeth. The man panted heavily wetting himself as Hibari drew his gun.

"Please" he managed to say as blood sprayed form his mouth. "I have a wife"

Hibari smirked. "Perhaps you should have thought about that before you left her alone and slept with that other women."

"That's what this is about?" he asked almost shocked at Hibari's comment. "I can pay double whatever my wife paid you"

"No" he replied coldly. "This isn't about your wife"

"Then What?"

"You have become more of a liability then an asset for those you provide information to"

Suddenly the man realized what was going on. He tried to stand but his shattered knee kept him pinned to the floor.

"Please" he begged. "You can't do this. I can still be useful, I swear"

"It has already been decided, I have to bite you to death"

Before he could reply Hibari squeezed the trigger three times. Each shot echoed in the tiny room as they tore thru his victims flesh. Blood splattered up as a muffled scream was all he could muster. It took but a few seconds for the six holes in his chest to allow all the blood to pour from his lifeless body. Hibari finished with a shot to each eye, apparently it was meant to signify something about his eyes being to big for his stomach or something, he really didn't care, his job was done.

With this he left and walked back to his waiting vehicle. He filled the bag back up with his equipment and sped off into the night. The rain was pouring by the time he arrived at his hotel in the city that night. He collapsed on his bed and had his well deserved rest.

The next morning his car and equipment were gone, just as he had been told. In its place another car sat waiting for him. He took off quickly for his brunch meeting. He really didn't care about the ceremony he just went thru. The blood, the saint and all of that wasn't really much of anything to him. He realized that perhaps this was something he should care about but he simply didn't at this point.

He had a nice brunch with the men from the ceremony in a rather quaint little seaside restaurant. Each of the men from the ceremony congratulated him and back off from him, apparently despite being feared men themselves, the newly "made" Vongola Cloud Guardian had enough mystery around him to ensure he was the most feared man in the room.

Once he had gorged himself to his content and a short ride back to the airport he was flying back to Japan. When he arrived he finally began to think about what had occurred over the past year. Sawada had changed not only himself but Hibari as well. He would be keeping a very close eye on his new "family" from now on. He thought that perhaps all the perks of being a Guardian were worth it, but the chance to fight the new Sawada and the baby were just icing on the cake.

He was broken from his train of taught as the school principal entered the Reception Room for their weekly status update. As the portly man droned on about restricting the Disciplinary Committee's role Hibari thought that perhaps instead of listening to this man he should bite him to death, but then he remembered if we wanted to survive in the new world Sawada had implanted him into he would need to be a little more discrete and work in the shadows.

To this effect Hibari was quite pleased when he entered school two days later to hear the gossip about their esteemed principal. Apparently he committed suicide for some unknown reason, of course Hibari knew the truth and as he took his place in his chair he realized that perhaps when certain people were becoming a nuisance that biting them to death was just what he needed to do once and a while from now on.


	4. Yamamoto

Yamamoto was so excited when Tsuna told him he was going back to Italy. During his last trip he had seen so much and loved the exotic European scenery and ancient ruins he was able to see and visit during his trip. However this time he was going for business, business he didn't like but understood.

When Tsuna sat him down and they actually discussed what had happened with the future and told him the truth about the Vongola family and the mafia Yamamoto had simply turned silent for two days. He knew there was more to the ring he now wore then he thought but this was a little more then he thought. He eventually reconciled it with himself and returned to see Tsuna. Tsuna explained to him about his trip to Italy and seemed very heavy hearted about asking Yamamoto to actually kill someone, but Yamamoto surprised both himself and Tsuna when he said yes. He didn't know why he did but it seemed right.

When he fought Squalo and the Phantom Knight he could have easily killed them but at the time it simply didn't seem prudent nor was it the right thing to do, but this time was different. Apparently the man he was suppose to kill was the owner of a small seaside bar and restaurant in Palermo, Italy. He paid his pizo without delay and worked hard, Yamamoto didn't see any reason to kill him, but then Tsuna finished.

He told him that the man had been secretly abusing his position on Vongola controlled, or ally controlled, he couldn't really remember, territory. He had been secretly making deals with rival families and had given out sensitive information that had gotten three Vongola associates killed and had caused three injured children in a gelato parlor. He also had a taste for very young girls and feed it thru kidnapping young African girls and keeping them in a secret room in the basement in a building he owned thru offshore accounts for whatever sick pleasures he was feeling. When he got tired with his current girl he would get himself a new one, but first he needed to get rid of the old one. For this twisted little task he would take them out on his catamaran and take a trip to the waters off the coast of Tunisia where he would give them a deep bloody, but non fatal, cut across a different part of their body. He would then tie them up and stick them into a lifesaver. He then liked to light a cigar and kick them in the stomach and into the water where their blood would attack predators. None of his victims had ever been found.

When both Tsuna and the Ninth had found out the normally calm men had fire in their eyes. Yamamoto could see the serious power behind Tsuna's eyes when they talked about his trip and Yamamoto could not agree more when he heard about him. So for the time being Yamamoto would kill for a justice that was needed but not always seen as such.

Yamamoto flew to Italy the next day but his stomach had him running to the bathroom during the entire trip. A nice older stewardess who reminded him of his mother made sure he was ok and brought him ginger ale. He left her a nice tip as he left the plane. Her eyes nearly fell out of her head when she unfurled the 100 Euro banknote he had given her.

He took a taxi to his destination using what little Italian he knew, he made a mental note to learn more before Tsuna needed him to speak it again. He walked three blocks from where he had been dropped off to a small storage garage. He slipped in with a key he received from Tsuna before he left and closed the door behind himself. In the unit he found everything that he would need for his job. He had been told that his target always walked down a certain street every Saturday at the exact same time. He had only an hour to get ready.

Twenty minuets later he sped off on a motorcycle with a sword tucked into the side. He weaned in and out of the alleyways and soon was at the end of a sparsely inhabited street with his target at the end, his ugly purple hat making him an easy man to see. He took a deep breath of the somewhat intoxicating air inside his helmet and burned rubber down the street.

His victim didn't even see him coming. As he approached he turned and with sword drawn Yamamoto stuck. With one clean cut the man's head flew into the air from the force, but he wasn't done yet. With just as much skill he flipped his sword around and with a strong backwards motion cut his torso in two. He finished with the special request and plunged the sword into his victim's crotch. Letting go of the sword he continued down the road as the three pieces of his victim fall to the pavement in a puddle of blood. As he turned the corner he hears the first scream of a witness as she leaned from a balcony to see the bloody mess he had left behind.

Yamamoto didn't care, he had worn gloves and there were no identifying marks on him, he knew that one would suspect him, He trusted Tsuna on that.

A few minuets later he tucked the bike and his other thing back into the garage, careful not to be seen and headed for his rendezvous.

He was picked up and remembered very little of the next few hours of his time in Italy. He met the right people, went thru the ceremony and was back on a plane to home. He said almost nothing when he got home. He received a smile from Tsuna and that was all they needed to exchange to know that everything would be alright, given a little time.

Yamamoto knew what he had done was something that might haunt him for the rest of his life, but on another level entirely he felt something altogether different. On this other level he felt free and as though he had been unburdened of a great weight from his shoulders. His swords style had been designed to kill and not using that aspect of it had always somewhat weakened his use of it. Now though he could wield his blade in a way that he had never been able to before. His cuts were sharper and crisper, he could turn and block far greater then before and he worked with a new sense of purpose that he lacked before.

Now he was a party of the Vongola family, an organization that was not what he thought he would do with his life, but now it was.

It wasn't long until his father approached him about his trip and somehow knew exactly what had happened and wanted to talk.

He told him a story that made him think.

"Shigure Soen is the ultimate sword style. It is passed down and refined thru generations of master swordsmen to their students. When I was taught it six others learnt it with me." His father started, but Yamamoto could tell by the tone in his voice there was more to the story then just a history lesson.

"We had been gathered as prodigies of the sword, each of us a talented and exuberant bunch. There were 250 of us at first, but when I awoke the morning of my second day there where only twenty of us. By weeks end there were only the six of us. We were then taken to a dojo on a small island just north of Australia where we spent the next year studying. We didn't meet our master until a month later. He was a strong swordsman from Russia who had learnt the style from and old Japanese man. We weren't told about the style nor did we see it until the end of our training. When we did finally get our lessons in the style we were all floored. The sheer power and grace that the style provided were so furious and so strong that we could never have imagined it before. We began mastering it quickly and each added our own form so that one day the style could be passed down to others like I have passed it to you and hopefully one day you will be able to pass it to another. Unfortunately not everyone was there for the art and way of the sword.

The lone American who I was friends with was named James Conner. He was a fine swordsman but lacked the patience and the refinement to create his own form. He struggled and watched jealously as I and the others worked our own forms and began to make the master proud. James knew that he would never be able to produce superior steps of skill sets then the rest of us, so he did what he could to stop us. James used his friendship with us and his sword to murder both Elizabeth and Ashley, two girls from England, in cold blood as they slept one night. It took two days to determine it was him and then another three to find him as he went thru the jungle. In the end it came down to him and me. We were both equally matched but his stamina and impatience soon showed thru and my blade cleaved his sword arm clean from his body. It took only a few seconds for him to die as his blood poured out of his wound.

We sent him back to his family, who were told an animal attacked him, while Ashley and Elizabeth had parents who understood what happened and laid no blame on anyone, in fact they wanted to congratulate him on avenging their daughters. The other two students left soon after as they had mastered all they could and now it was their turns to be masters, while I sat at the coast trying to contemplate what had happened. My master simply told me that this style craved blood and eventually all those who wield it will coat their swords in blood. This should not be seen as a tainting of the sword he said, rather as a baptism. When I got back to Japan I settled back into my life and realized that what had happened, what I had done needed to be done. It needed to be done so that something larger then I could be protected and neutered for the future to use and enjoy."

With the end of the story his father raised himself form the floor and left Yamamoto alone with only his blade and his thoughts.

Yamamoto soon came to the conclusion that perhaps what had happened wasn't as horrible as he had previously thought and that his life was starting a new and for the better.

XXXX

Pizo is an Italian word that is used to describe the protection money shops and businesses pay to specific mafia families.


	5. Chrome

Chrome was the only one of the Guardians who got to stay in Japan for her task. Tsuna had come to her to explain, but she knew everything already. She was going to be "made" and this meant that she would need to kill.

Tsuna gave her the details and a picture of her target over a cappuccino at a nice little cafe. Chrome could not believe her luck, maybe Tsuna and the Ninth had arranged it this way, maybe not but either way she would not only be "made" but she would also get a little personal vengeance while at the same time ensuring the security of the family.

Her target was named Iwamura Ebizo, better known as her deadbeat step father. Soon after they got back from the future Chrome had been gifted a condo to live in, with Ken and Chikusa saying they would rather stay where they were. Of course Chrome later found that they had, "reluctantly", accepted an apartment across the street from her. Mokuro had been distant but happy for her, especially after she received new organs from a transplant Tsuna had arranged for her. With all of this going on her parents eventually came back into the mix.

When she was young she was a shy child but her father always took her out, when he died she simply folded in on herself. Her mother married Ebizo a little while later and her life began to transform into a true hell. He was a fool that thought he could buy her love and make her forget he was sleeping with her mother in the next room. It didn't take him long to begin to despise her and make her mother do the same. He made her life a living hell for years and she only found comfort with her cat Yoshi. Unfortunately Yoshi suddenly disappeared one day; she later found out that Ebizo had kicked him off the apartment balcony one day. After her accident and hospital stay she had just disappeared and they didn't even bother to look for her. She had heard that they moved to Tokyo some time ago and had a Vongola lawyer serve them with emancipation papers.

Tsuna arranged it so the court thought that she had inherited money from a member of her father's family and could live by herself. 31,000,000 Yen was deposited into an account for her and she fooled the courts, as the Vongola were experts at. Unfortunately her mother had further degraded from her old self into a greedy woman who sued her own daughter to get at the money. Chrome had been very mad; she had worked hard for that money. Tsuna may have gifted it to her but she had already started earning for the family and gave Tsuna his cut every time she needed to, so for her mother to be so audacious was beyond belief. Fortunately the judge also saw it her way and they resumed their nonexistent relationship after the strenuous court battle was finished.

Chrome remembered her mother was always quite a leech. She had worked her father to the bone so provide for her and spent without regard for debt, her father's health, or anything else. She had a taste for designer labels and Chrome often expected that she only wanted a daughter so she had someone to dress up like a unique plaything for her own personal amusement. Chrome had severely disappointed her mother in this respect and this perhaps added to their difficult relationship.

With her new confidence provided by Tsuna with his brining her into his family Chrome had come out of her shell a little bit. She now enjoyed fashion to the extent that she could and liked to buy a nice outfit every once and a while. Ironic as she was somewhat the daughter that her mother had originally wanted. However now she was her own woman and she thought that her sense of style was probably to bold and dark for her mother's sensitive pallet. Chrome tended to like dark colors and rich tones in comparison to her mother's bright and trendy attitudes.

Now back to her assignment, apparently her step-father was working for a construction firm and was going against a local Yakuza group with their construction interests. In this particular case he had finally pushed them too far. He was forcing the delay of a much needed condo development in Tokyo. The Yakuza wanted the money, but the city needed the condos due to a housing shortage and her step-father was trying to get more money. They had had enough of his interference and when the Ninth heard some allies were having problems he said he would deal with it. Chrome was instructed that he should be put down hard and whatever she wanted to do was right. This wasn't just for her, or the Vongola, or the Yakuza. Rather it was also for the people of Tokyo, and Chrome knew that the Vongola had, at their core, the people in mind.

Chrome considered this a free license to do as she pleased. She arrived in the city under a false name and under an illusionary identity and leaving an illusion of herself back in Namimori with Tsuna, so as to ensure an alibi. When she arrived she used the power of her ring to plant an idea in her mothers head and she went off to putter around town. Chrome entered her parents building and went to the penthouse where they lived, under an illusion that made her look like her mother.

When she entered the penthouse she smiled at her step-father and lured him to the kitchen.

"Whey are you back so..." he began but could not finish.

Chrome pulled a large butcher knife from a block on the counter and plunged it into his chest. He grabbed his wound and screamed loudly as she plunged the bloody knife back into his chest. She continued over and over as he fell to the floor. Blood began to pool on the tile floor as Chrome continued to plunge the knife into his now lifeless body over and over again. When she was finished Chrome had stabbed her step-father 250 times and blood spatter and spray covered her mother's nice white kitchen. She simply dropped the knife on the floor and walked out of the building calmly. She knew that she had been seen, but all those people saw was her mother.

She took the train back to Namimori and arrived to her nice condo late that evening. She took a shower, washing herself thoroughly and enjoying the warm water as it soothed her body. Her illusions had become very powerful and all the police would find was forensic evidence from her mother. Chrome allowed a devilish smile to envelop her face as she prepared for the ceremony that was occurring for her.

Tsuna himself conducted the ceremony for she sat in his room. His father was present as her blood burned and they all hugged. She was now a part of a real family and nothing could ever change that. She even gave Tsuna a nice kiss on the lips this time with a smile. Tsuna blushed furiously just like the first time they met.

"Thank you boss. You will never know who much this means to me" she said.

They then retired downstairs where Nana had prepared a lavish meal of Italian seafood dishes. The four dug into their meals and had a nice casual conversation far removed from what she had just gone thru.

It was three days later when there was a knock on her door. Two officers from the local police had come by.

"Sato Nagi?" the first asked.

"Yes" Chrome replied as she tried hard to mask her delight. It was obvious that her mother had been arrested.

"Your mother is Iwamura Ran?"

"Yes"

"I am sorry to tell you that your mother has murdered your father" he said, sounding as sad as he could.

"Step-father" she replied coldly.

"Oh yes of course" the officer replied, trying quickly to recover from a bad social faux pas.

"What happened?" Chrome asked, trying to ascertain what they knew.

"Well apparently your mother snapped for some reason, we aren't really sure yet. She stabbed your step-father many times and left their Tokyo apartment. We found her wondering the streets claiming she didn't do it."

"But…" Chrome asked, knowing there was more.

"We found her fingerprints on the murder weapon and she was seen leaving the scene. She is being held in the local women's detention facility."

"Well I wasn't very close to my mother and her husband." Chrome said trying to allow the officers to get the picture of their relationship.

"We know. It took the Tokyo police two days to even realize she had a daughter. Even then it took another day to find you."

"Well then you know all about my mother's personality and why we aren't in contact anymore."

"Of course. We were just sent to inform you."

"Well thank you officers, please have a nice rest of your day." Chrome replied and closed the door as the officers left.

A devious smile crept across her mouth after she closed her door. She sat on her couch and turned on her TV. Her idiot step-father dead, her mother in jail, and now she was the member of a real family. Her life was finally going her way.

XXXXX

250,000,000 Euros = 31,000,000 yen


	6. Gokudera

The rich taste of a heavy smoke filled the air as Gokudera sat in his large cushioned chair. The air around him was filled with smoke as the men and one woman in the room pulled with deep breaths on their own unique cigars. He pulled out a small metal cylinder from his jacket pocket. Popping it open he pulled out a cigar and savored its small as he ran it under his nose. He snipped the end of his fresh cigar and stuck it in his mouth. He struck a wooden match against the antique lamp that sat on the table next to him and lit his cigar. He took a few small pulls on it before beginning to slowly savor the smoky flavor of his cigar. He was currently in a small cigar club he supposedly belonged to, smoking one of his favorite Italian cigars in the heart of Rome.

He puffed slowly and savored the rich taste of his habit as his eyes focused thru the smoke at the man he was there to kill.

He was so happy when the Tenth had told him what he needed to do. In fact he was so excited that he nearly blew his top right then and there, but he knew better. He knew that some, if not all, of the other guardians had already been "made" and he was so pleased that it was finally his turn. This marked a turning point in his career and soon he would be the right hand that the Tenth deserved.

He had flown to Rome and walked amongst the citizens for a few hours savoring Italy as he remembered it before settling into a small cigar bar where his alias was a member, not him. He had a glass of scotch and a good cigar while he waited patiently for his target to arrive. When his target finally walked into the establishment he smiled while keeping himself hidden in the shadows of the dark club so that he could observe his pray.

The man seemed like nothing really special; he had a head of dark brown hair that was accentuated by the spreading grey's that flowed on the sides. His suit looked like it came off the rack, but Gokudera saw the way it moved and didn't ruffle when he moved and knew that it was custom fit for him and only him.

The man's name was Christopher Auditore and he was a pain the ass of the Vongola and the mafia in general. He was a special prosecutor for the justice department and it was his job to pursue Mafioso and bring them to trial. Gokudera was proud that his act to become a member of the Vongola was to take care of such a distinguished corpse, this made him sure that the Tenth trusted him beyond reproach and that he would help him become the right hand that he knew he was destined to be.

Gokudera knew that this would be a very difficult hit simply because Christopher was a well protected man and his death would bring down tremendous heat on the mafia, so he hatched an ingenious plan to ensure that not only was he to take care of but also all of the heat was directed at some one other then the Vongola or their allies.

When he got back to the small villa he was using on the outskirts of Rome the gate creaked as he rode his motorcycle into the driveway. Inside he sat at his desk and began to tap away on his keyboard mercilessly in his attempt to begin the first step of his plan. He was currently creating fake documents that showed Christopher had been on the hot trail of a very lucrative prostitution operation run by the Tomaso family. An evil grin came across his face as he put the finishing touches on the documents and went to his workshop to start on the next phase of his plan. Hidden behind the bookcase in the basement were the stairs to a small workshop where Gokudera began working on the bomb he would use to complete his mission.

As he worked tirelessly concocting his device he smirked at the fool he was about to blow apart and how exactly his life had come to end at his hands.

Christopher Auditore had come from the slums and became a successful attorney for the ministry of justice. On the outside he was a great man and a crusader for justice but on the inside he was a whole different individual. To get thru law school, where he was a c student at best, he sold papers, hacked computers, and ran most of the small stuff on his campus. He justified it as making up for his humble beginnings. When he finished school he forged transcripts and credentials and blackmailed his way into the justice department and began his career. During all his years there he had created a very prestigious career that was actually built on nothing but false information and lies. Currently he was actually siphoning off funds that were seized from the mafia and sending them to offshore accounts. He had several million Euros' that he had stashed away, and for good reason. In Italy he was a much respected man, but when he went to Las Vegas, Sydney, Atlantic City, and others he was a high roller. He gambled and spent his ill-gotten money on women, booze, and cards. Unfortunately he never seemed to have enough so he continued to work his role as a prosecutor to his advantage taking everything that he could without loosing his ability to function as a respected member of society. Currently he was becoming a pain in the Vongola's side. Sure they had members of the justice department on their payroll; judges, prosecutors, and others all helped the Vongola in certain ways, but not him. His problem was that he was currently not playing ball with anyone with Vongola interests and this, coupled with his other various vices, had made him more of a liability then the Tenth was willing to allow to live.

The Tenth told him that he needed to go and to kill two birds with one stone he would need to make sure someone else took the fall. Gokudera had suggested the Tomaso family and the Tenth had simply smiled at him.

Despite the Tenth and the Tomaso boss having a civil relationship there was still a real competition between the two. While the Tenth had begun to evolve into a real boss the Tomaso's boss had not. Gokudera remembered when they meet in middle school and shivered at the very though of the young man. In the years since he had not changed a bit and was still the eccentric lunatic that he was before. His tastes in women had him running around to every whorehouse and street corner in Italy looking for the right type of girl to satisfy the itch of the day that he was currently having. He ignored the rules of conduct that the mafia used and made himself a spectacle amongst their ranks. It was a miracle that his family was still afloat but Gokudera and the other high ranking members of the Vongola knew the truth.

While Naito Longchamp was the Tomaso boss in name he was not in reality. While he sat atop his perceived throne and lived his life the way he pleased his family was being run by another.

During the reign of the last boss the Tomaso family was an alright family but never a great family. When the boss died Naito Longchamp took over despite being young, passing over his older cousin Giuseppe. Now Giuseppe took initiative and had taken the power away from his stupid cousin. Naito had made the error of making Giuseppe a captain and with his power and earning potential he rallied the other captains behind him and secretly controlled the family without Naito being any the wiser.

The Tenth had finally had enough with Naito when during a dinner meeting between the two families he learnt the truth about a problem they had been having.

The Vongola had a substantial interest in a small island bank where they liked to launder their money. Unfortunately it had been closed after months of problems and the Vongola only got 80% of their money out. Apparently Naito had bought the bank thru a well known Tomaso shell company he controlled. With this the department of justice removed and seized the bank and all of the company's assets. Tsuna had been furious as it had been a blow to the family and it took some time to find another bank to do the job right. So Gokudera knew that this little hit would be just the pay back the Tomaso needed to receive to keep the peace.

After this little problem the Tenth took Giuseppe aside for a dinner meeting the next night. Giuseppe was surprised when he was told that he would officially be the Tomaso boss. Giuseppe was very surprised that Tsuna had known this, but was none the less intrigued by the offer. Tsuna promised that Naito would be taken care of and Giuseppe would ascend to the top of the family. In return the Vongola/Tomaso war that had lasted centuries was over and an uneasy peace would rule the two family's relations. Giuseppe was reluctant but took the deal and the two shook on it.

When Gokudera was finally finished his device he went to sleep. The next night he left for the fool's house to enact his plan. He entered the neighborhood quietly and snuck past all the Carabinieri security the fool had around his house. He snuck thru the outside security and slipped thru the back door. He trekked carefully thru the kitchen and into the basement where he placed the bomb, hidden in the ductwork near the furnace. He then slipped out quietly and pretended to be a jogger as he went right past the house and its guard.

Gokudera was a patient man and he waited an entire two weeks until he set his plan in motion, so as to ensure that he was in no way able to be connected to it.

When the day finally came he waited for the fool to leave the office for the day. He watched from a distance as he went thru the motions of his day and bored Gokudera nearly to death.

He snuck into the justice building as a computer tech under a false face and set of prints. He worked on Auditore's computer for a good half hour before he was finished with his work. He had taken all the investigation files and erased their traces from the network. At the same time he planted the fake Tomaso investigation and closed down the computer. On his way out he smirked lightly as he though of the great things he had learned. Amongst the files Gokudera had come across some very important information. He found the names and files of every officer of the secret boss hunter squad that plagued the mafia. When the Tenth got a hold of this the next meeting of the Commission would be a very busy one indeed.

That night at midnight Gokudera's device got its signal and a small hole appeared in the gas line. Half an hour later as the house filled with gas the device primed and exploded. The resulting fireball engulfed the entire home in a blaze of glory. Stone and rubble rained down on the street as the officers guarding the house were thrown into the street as the fire burned intensely, fuelled by the gas main.

Auditore's body flew into the sky and crashed into his neighbor's pool with a tremendous splash, dousing the flames that had engulfed his body. The explosion rocked the entire neighborhood and it wasn't long before the entire neighborhood watched the lot that was the Auditore house burn. The street filled with first responders and the media. It took hours for the Carabinieri and the fire department to put everything out and clean up the mess. They fished the corpse out of the pool and sent it to the morgue. Gokudera watched from his Villa as the news showed everything. There was so little left of Christopher that he filled only a quarter of the body bag.

The next day the arson squad had already found what was left of Gokudera's device and declared it to have a unique signature. Coupled with the Tomaso report from his computer and other investigative materials the Carabinieri had issued warrants for the arrest of Vincent Rallo, the Tomaso family's top bomb maker and Naito Longchamp himself. They would not find Vincent as he was already dead and being used in a Russian medical school as a cadaver. As for the Naito he would be caught soon enough, but in the meantime Giuseppe would seize control of the family, just as the Tenth had planned.

A few days later Gokudera arrived at the Vongola mansion for the ceremony. He was led into a small room where the Ninth and Tenth both stood ready for his arrival. He was initiated and soon became a made man.

When they got back to Japan their lives resumed their normal flow. When they returned to Namimori and school resumed Gokudera was pleased that the Carabinieri had moved quickly. Hana had been the first to tell him. Apparently the day before he and the Tenth got back the NPA had sent officers to speak with Longchamp. He somehow escaped them and now there was a full manhunt on for him and his companions. It only took another day for the gossip machine to churn out the truth. Longchamp was wanted in Italy for murder, prostitution, and other offences related to the fake prostitution operation that Gokudera had concocted.

No one could believe that Naito was what they said, but others, mainly the strange women he dated, were sad.

Naito stayed the talk of the school until his death a month later. The boss hunter squad had finally caught up with him in the Tuscan countryside. Longchanp was hiding out with his allies in a small fortified country villa on a large vineyard property. The raid came at first light and the ensuing battle was intense. When it was finally over Naito's companions and guard were all dead and his villa had been pried open like a can of sardines.

Naito himself had made a good stand, for him, but in the end he showed that he was not mafia boss material. He had tried to run, shooting as he tried to escape, but to no avail. The Carabinieri's bullets riddled his body as he fell into grape vines coughing blood until he was no more.

That night Giuseppe and Tsuna both toasted a good power play and ensured their new alliance. In the end it had been Naito's love for strange women that had led the Carabinieri right to him. They had apparently followed him back to his hideout after an encounter one night. In the small town close by there was only two prostitutes that would fit Longchamp's very specific tastes. With this in mind the boss hunter squad sat on both girls after learning for a tip that Naito was close by. After only three days the squad had hit pay dirt and saw Longchamp leave with one of the prostitutes and headed for an apartment. When morning rolled around they saw him leave and followed him. They would have taken him at the apartment but they also wanted those who were hiding him

While everyone was glad to be rid of Longchamp and happy to have Giuseppe there was still the fact that a boss was killed and someone needed to pay. Over the next two years the entire boss hunting squad and three swat team members who participated in the raid had died. None had been outright killed; rather they all died properly for the situation. Tsuna had the Varia kill them all subtly; a couple of heart attacks, some slip and falls, a stroke, and a drunk driver later and the Varia had eliminated them all. As an added bonus Tsuna was able to politically maneuver certain Vongola assets into positions that were now vacant.

Gokudera smirked at his morning paper as he looked out over his view of Turin. He was in town for a meeting and loved the view. Now, with all those others dead Gokudera could happily say that all his hard work had finally been finished; and he could not be happier about it.

Perhaps it didn't weigh in him as much because he grew up around the mafia, or maybe he just preferred the safety of the family over the life of another. Either way Gokudera knew that this probably would not be the last time he had to kill.

XXX

Notes:

A distinguished corpse is a term given to people who are killed buy the mafia. This term is applied only to very important and influential people in the public system that are killed. Examples include judges, politicians, and others whose death can be traced back to the mafia.

The boss hunter squad is a small group officers who specifically scour the country for the members of Italy's most wanted list. This list is composed of almost entirely of mafia bosses who are on the run.


	7. Ryohei

Ryohei was a simple guy, very extreme, but simple. He acted rather crudely but deep down he was just compensating for something, what that was he wasn't sure but he was obviously compensating for something. He searched for a long time to figure it out but finally he found it in front of him, family. Not his blood family but the family that Tsuna and the others presented him with.

When he became friends with Tsuna and the others he slowly became less outwardly extreme, slowly of course. He was still the same Ryohei as he always was and for the sake of everyone that would never change.

When it came time for him to do his duty and enter into the family he was less than thrilled about it. However he surprised Tsuna by agreeing to the action. They had a long talk over tea at his place and Tsuna knew that together they would be a true family and nothing could ever change that. Of course the subject of his dear sister had to come up when these two talked.

Since the horrors of the future Tsuna had Haru and Kyoko's memories erased and Ryohei was happy. His sister would not be subjected to what happened and she could live without the memories. Tsuna had come to the conclusion that what he held for Kyoko was not true and perhaps he was fixating on her to compensate for something else. While Ryohei wasn't very happy about it he knew it was for the best an in the future both Tsuna and Kyoko would be happier for it.

Currently Ryohei was going about his business and headed to the United States for his mission. He exited his plane in Miami International airport and decided to walk to his hotel rather than take a taxi. He enjoyed the sun on his face as he walked downtown smiling at the sights despite his grim reason for being there. He received small smiles and glances for bikini clad girls as he walked along the beach totting his duffel bag. He smiled as he entered his hotel telling himself that he and Hana were together now and she would try and kill him if his eyes wandered.

He hadn't told her anything about his trip or Tsuna and he never would but rather she thought that he was at an international boxing tournament. Ryohei checked into his room under the false name the Vongola had provided him with. He had another entirely different set of papers to leave the country with when he was done with his mission.

Ryohei hit the button on the elevator and sored to the top of the lavish hotel. Ryohei was not one for anything lavish but Tsuna insisted that Ryohei at least stayed in comfort while he was in Miami. The elevator binged as he exited on one of the top floors. He searched for his room, finding it as there were only two doors. He slipped the keycard thru the slot and entered his room. He locked the door, dropped his duffel bag and fell asleep right away on his bed for a few hours.

When he awoke he called Hana back in Namimori, as he had been instructed to. Their chat was nice and light but he could tell she was seemingly asking more then she should, just like during the battles with the Varia. He put that aside as he changed into his clothes and headed to seek out his target.

Ryohei jogged down to a small marina where a go-fast boat was waiting for him. He found the key and a small box holding his gun just where Tsuna had told him it would be. The black boat purred to life as he took it out in the evening glow of the setting sun. About a half hour or so later he slowly drifted into a small neighborhood lined with plush mansions, the home of his target. He kept a low profile pretending to be another tourist as he looked at the property he would be invading. He smiled grimly when he saw the man he was supposed to murder sitting on his terrace enjoying a light dinner.

Ryohei was told about his target before he had left Japan when he had dinner at Tsuna's house. His target was named Anthony Totali a Miami businessman. He was famed for turning his once useless family land into a billion dollar citrus industry through southern Florida. In the eyes of the community he was a saint, and a man above reproach. Perhaps it was this smug sense of power that had made him a target. The truth was that although he was a smart man his business was only so good because of the Vongola and the Chiavarone. In the early 1960's both families had invested millions in the business and since used its infrastructure to launder billions of their hard earned dollars thru its international operations. Unfortunately now Totali had the idea that he no longer needed them and with both families having new bosses he could do as he pleased. Last month Tsuna and Dino had met with Totali on his yatch for a weekend of meetings. Tsuna had wanted to move Vongola money out of the business and Dino, being shrewd with finances, agreed. Totali could not have been happier with this development. He had Jose Cavalierie come to the meeting to elevate them. Jose was a top man in the Cavalierie Cartel in Mexico. The Cartel was very interested in using Totali as an importer of their products and Totali wanted the greater money they had been offering. Unfortunately with this they also wanted both the Vongola and the Chiavarone out. By the end of the weekend the Cartel had given the Vongola and the Chaivarone a substantial amount of money. Not only had they been returned their original investment but they also got huge payments that made both bosses happy. When they left Dino and Tsuna had wiped their hands of Totali and his business forever.

A week later Dino came to Japan and he, Tsuna and Gokudera had a meeting. While Ryohei wasn't there he had herd what had happened; the real reason he was in Miami. While they had wiped their hands of Totali he was expanding his own interests. While he moved Cartel money and product he was stepping out against his new Cartel allies and both of them. He was muscling in on arms trafficking and other money laundering operations that had connections to both families as well as some of their New York allies. Unfortunately after nearly 50 years of Vongola and Chiavarone protection Totali had learnt a couple of tricks himself. He had kept his new activities from his new allies and apparently he had been using Vongola and Chiavarone money to start the process long before they had pulled out their money.

Armed with these facts Dino informed the Cavalierie Cartel about their old acquaintance. They were furious to say the least and they had spent a lot of money to gain access to a new and important piece of their financial network. Apparently it was then that the decision was made and the Vongola got the honor of the deed.

Ryohei knew that this was something that had to be done for the sake of the family but that didn't mean he had to like it. He returned to the marina and headed back to the hotel for a nice dinner.

That night he received a package that contained all of the plans for the Totali mansion. He studied them and found where exactly he needed to go. He surveyed the house every night for three days then finally acted.

That night he slipped his boat onto Totali's dock and crept up to the house. He used the key and alarm code he had received and slipped upstairs. The huge dark marble halls echoed with the laughter of Totali that was coming from his office. A small beam of light crept under his door, but Ryohei passed it by. He found the security room and slipped out all of the hard drives in the system and removed his mask. Now that the system was down there would be no record of him, except Totali's dead body.

He crept back down to the doors and opened them. There Totali sat behind his desk, a glass of rum in his hands and a cigar on the desk.

"Who are you?" he shouted, looking more angry then concerned.

Ryohei raised his gun to Totali and he could see the fear in the man's eyes now.

"Look just take what you want" he sputtered trying to remain clam.

"I can't do that" he replied.

"Why not? It's easy. Look the safe is behind that villa picture to your left and the jewelry is upstairs" he tired bargaining.

"I'm not here for that" he stated simply.

"Then…"

Ryohei cocked the gun as Totali's eyes widened.

"The Cavalierie Cartel will have your head" he said with such confidence that Ryohei had to smirk.

"The Cartel agrees. You should have stayed out of our world" Ryohei replied.

"You little punk. I was in this world before you were even born. And another thing you little…"

Totali couldn't finish as Ryohei squeezed the trigger and emptied the clip into Totali's chest. Each bullet striking him in the chest and leaving a small pool of blood in his lap. Ryohei turned and left as Totali's lifeless corpse fell back into his chair. His crystal glass shattering on the tile floor and sending glass and rum in every direction.

The next morning Ryohei awake early for his plane. He stopped his taxi at a church and went in. He didn't really know why but it just seemed right for him. Perhaps it was a bit of Knuckle leaching thru to him after all of these centuries. He sat quietly in the cathedral and lit a candle not for his victim but for himself. He sat there for another hour before deciding to leave. He wasn't sure why but his little stop over at the church cooled his conscious a little and he felt much better for his long trip home.

When Ryohei arrived back in Japan he was congratulated by all for his first place win and the prestigious boxing trophy that he brought home with him. Of course first he stopped at Tsuna's house.

There he met with Tsuna, Yamamoto and Gokudera where he participated in the ritual that would bound him to the Vongola forever. When they were done he went home where his parents, sister, and Hana were all waiting for him. Together they wanted to hear all about his tournament and his trip. During dinner he thrilled them with his imaginative fake matches and the thrilling finale that he won. Of course they were all fake but no one else needed to know that.

The next morning Ryohei was eating breakfast as his father was reading the financial section of the paper very interestingly.

"Something interesting dad?" he asked.

"Why yes son for once there is" he said smiling

"Listen to this"

"Police are baffled by the murder to citrus billionaire Anthony Totali who was found dead in his home office last Monday morning. Police are keeping all information regarding the murder very tight. Inside sources say there are very few leads in the case thus far. Totali and his company Totali Orchards (NYSX: TO) were apparently under investigation by both the FCC and the FBI for irregularities in accounting practices and other financial irregularities within the prominent company. Yesterday's announcement that the DEA will be joining the investigation has led to widespread speculation that drugs were freely pouring into Miami thru the port disguised in citrus shipments from the companies South American and Mexican facilities.

With news of the company's largest shareholder and CEO dead and the investigations against the company the stock price has dropped significantly. In addition a large selloff of stock has been spurred by the selling of large blocks of stock by three major New York hedge funds, who together stood as the second largest stockholders next to the Totali family themselves. The FCC is expected to announce a freeze on the company stock any day now to protect the overall value of the exchange.

Analysts are predicting increases in various citrus futures as the company may lose much of its importing and exporting powers during the investigation. This news however was welcomed by shareholders of The Garden of Eden (NYSX: GOE), Royal Grade (NYSX: RYG), and Cyto Farms (NYSX: CYF), Totali's main North American competitors. Each of the three giants saw a heavy bump in their stock price which was spurred by all three having increased sales last quarter, which were all lost sales from Totali Orchards.

Totali Orchards had been losing ground in the market for the last six consecutive quarters, loosing approximately 10% of their total North American market share and bringing into question Anthony Totali's announcement last month of the company's decision to acquire three orchard properties in California and another in Florida. Totali was confident in his last shareholders meeting, just a week ago, with the announcement stating that the new production capacity these properties would add to the company would allow for reduced overhead costs and the ability to deliver a fresher product to their customers.

However many in the industry doubt that the added production would save the floundering company. With huge profits a thing of the past and the current surge of company capital many believed that Totali had taken to illegal means of artificially inflating company value. Already many angry investors are rallying against the company.

Totali is survived by his daughter Daniela, and his son Anthony Jr.

Ryohei smiled nervously at his father.

"How is this interesting?" he asked.

"Well my bank dumped all of your Totali stock a month ago and now it seems we made a fortune." He said smiling

"That's good dad" he replied as he grabbed his bag and left for school.

Ryohei smiled as made his way to school. The selloff of stock the paper mentioned was partially done by the Vongola and now they were all a little richer for it. Tsuna had told him a nice piece of "pie" was coming his way. Ryohei was slightly confused until it was explained that meant money. Now he would buy Hana a nice birthday gift.

Ryohei smiled as he hugged Hana as they entered school. Now his life, his family was going to be complete.


	8. Lambo

Lambo was a relatively underappreciate guardian, of course he had no one but himself to blame for it. He was the youngest and often the most stupid member of the family. After the encounter with the Shimon however he changed. His battle had been strenuous and after he questioned everything. Despite being so young he now knew that having grown up in the mafia and now being part of the Vongola Lambo knew that he needed to grow up.

He travelled to Italy and meets with his great uncle, the current boss of the Bovino family. Lambo had been adopted by his parents, his mother being the current bosses niece, and was never seen as a member of the family, except by his great uncle.

When he arrived the old man was so happy and they enjoyed a year together in the vineyards of the north. Lambo learnt a lot and grew up so much.

After his year there he was ready to go back to Japan but he was stopped. One day he met with Tsuna who came for a visit and Lambo was sent on his first real mission for the Vongola.

The mafia was built on trust and family, thus Omerta was a key. When someone broke Omerta they needed to be dealt with, often this meant that they needed to die.

In this case a Vongola associate had been caught and now he had turned supergazzi. He was holed up in a penthouse in a building that was yet to be occupied in Sicily.

Lambo was given a .22 and only the words that he should suffer.

Everything else was a blur to Lambo's young mind. The arrival in Sicily, the infiltration of the building, even the murder itself.

He had infiltrated the building and since it was uninhabited there was no one to see or hear anything.

He snuck thru the ventilation to the top floor and sat observing for an hour before he acted.

"Who is the current Vongola Boss?" the one officer asked the rat.

"Not until I get m deal" he said

Then it all ended. Lambo fell from the ceiling and fired three shots. The first and second killed each of the rat's guards. The third sunk deep into the rat's knee and he screamed in pain.

Lambo was quick to knock him out and tie him to a chair. When he awoke he was scared. In front of him sat the small child with a smile on his face, his feet were in a bucket of water and his chair was in the tub.

"What did you tell them?" he asked

"Nothing yet" he tried to say but it stuttered out.

Lambo smacked him with the sponge he held. He screamed in pain as current passed thru his body. Time and time Again Lambo asked and received the same answer. Each time Lambo sent the electricity thru his victim, watching as each twitch of his body sent more power thru him.

After 24 hours he was done. The rat was finished at this point. Burn marks covered his body and the smell of burnt hair filled the room. Blood poured from welts and marks all over his body.

His cries of pain were silenced when Lambo put a bullet into his head and tossed a dead rat into the bloody water around his feet.

He left the building and before he knew it he was back in japan, now a made man and a true member of the Vongola family.

XXX

Notes:

I know short but now its finished so that's good. Stay tuned for a sequal.

A supergrazzi is a term used in Italian law enforcement. It refers to an important witness against the mafia. Usually they are members of the mafia themselves.


	9. Epilogue

When all seven of them were "made" they gathered for a meal and a celebration of their family. A small restaurant in Palermo played host to their meeting, a cavernous basement room was the setting.

Lambo arrived first, right next to Yamamoto as they were guided into the private dinning room, guarded by a pair of lucky Vongola associates.

Hibari amazingly showed up and sat quietly to Tsuna's eventual left.

Gokudera arrived with Ryohei in a loud sport scar that Dino had lent them. Gokudera didn't like it but Ryohei liked the flash of the car and told him that he wanted to drive it before it looked to suspicious.

Chrome arrived right after. She was in a beautiful black dress that she had spent to day shopping for. Every male head turned onto her as she walked to her table.

Last to arrive was Tsuna. He arrived in a limo and was guided by a pair of bodyguards until he hit the door. As he took his seat at the head of the table the huge wooden doors closed on the dining room.

Their preordered food came quickly and an old bottle of wine was uncorked and passed around the table.

Tsuna raised his glass and began to speak.

"We are gathered today by a solemn connection that most of us never thought possible. However from this link we have become family and together we are part of something special. Not everyone will always see this but we will always know it. No matter what the future holds for us seven we can be assured that together we will prevail. Despite what has happened and what is expected of us our futures will be hard and great hurdles await us. I know that each of us is capable of handling them with grace, dignity, and perhaps our own unique styles. However what is sure to me is that I could not ask for better guardians, friends, and family."

Everyone smiled as they raised their glasses.

"To the next generation" Tsuna said.

"To the next generation" they all replied.

Glasses clinked together as everyone sipped their wine and began their meal.

XXX

In the end every member of this thing of ours forges their own path in life. What happens after they leave us, whatever way that may be, is beyond the understanding of those left behind.

However the men who make up our organization are loyal, and strong. They give everything to protect and serve a family that often has nothing to do with their own blood. Rather this new family deals with a sense of belonging and fraternity that sometimes a person cannot get from anywhere else.

To be a mace man is an honor and a curse. It is a blessing and a burden. It is what being a member of a family is ultimately about, and now Tsuna and his guardians are not only part of that world, they are leaders.


End file.
